My name is Don DeLeva, I am a Seattle based artist. I work mainly in acrylic on wood panel. My art vacillates between POP Surrealism and abstraction mainly focusing on portraits and the visualization of personality and perspective. Recently, I have been bringing both styles together to create a fuller more vibrant image. This site is dedicated to the ideas that inspire my work art. Thank you for visiting.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Well its been a month...
10 days in Sayulita Mexico were I painted 6 paintings in the sun and pool. Tuff? yes! You try to be in paradise and work. I really can't call it work since I love painting. :-)
So here is a run down of this month.
I had:
Solo / Little Olympia Theater, "Architect dream"
Group / Gallery Zero, Portland OR., "Big Ass Art!"
Group / Art Not Terminal, Seattle WA., "Rock the Terminal"
Group / Fremont Abey, Seattle WA.
Here is the work I did:
3 paintings for Aqua Miami Basel
9 paintings for the 5x5 show at La Familia Gallery
2 commission painting for private collectors
1 personal oil painting for my private collection
Fremont Sunday market.
That's quite a bit of work for being on vacation and still having 9 days left in the month.
Well on a different note, you know when you go on a vacation for more then 5 days, you start to loose sense of yourself because you have to see yourself in relations to the new surroundings, even if they are temporary. 10 days in Mexico is enough to get you in touch with survival mode . In 10 days you also get the opportunity to remember how to relax, if you can trust your surroundings. It's through this clarity I came to some realization about my art and where I am going with it.
One thing I realized is that every painting I have made in the last year seems to be focused on the portrait. I have been painting masks and faces. This led me to realize we protect ourselves with personality persona that acts as armor in our everyday life.
For example disarming some one with cuteness, scaring some one with a sneer or getting some one to submit by authoritative gestures and actions.
All of these persona act as armor to protect or "soft inners" or emotions and feelings.
This is how my Dollhedz, Muertos and Abstracts all fit together. They are all metaphors for persona armor, even in the materials I use, wood, steel, acrylic... they all represent some sort of skin or armor.
Its just good to know what you are doing so you can get to what you are saying with the language you chose to say it in.